Living the Lifestyle Everyday

Monthly Archives: June 2011

“He had nightmares of “rats.” He found peace in the fellowship. We recieved word that one of our friends at our Denver mission has died. Diabetes, dementia, and possibly early stage Alzheimers contributed to this man’s torture, but when he prayed, when he was in the fellowship at Washington Park our friend raised his hands; praised God and recieved and dispensed happiness and blessing.

The Real Deal

Mental impairments, mental retardation, disabilities or whatever the politcialy correct term for our friends is at this time, the past and the future doesn’t really matter to this middle-aged man who graced us with his prescence for the last year. To us he was Randy, and Randy had a working understanding of what God did in his life, what God was doing to get him through his medical and mental anquish, and that God has a future in this life and the life that Randy is experiencing with God in heaven this very day. At Friendship Fellowship in Denver we constantly bring a blessing, a biblical truth when we worship every Wednesday. We call ourselves a “special church for people with special needs” and we mean it. Randy was a man with special needs, a man with stregnths and weaknesses, and he contributed to our church with both.

A life at Sunset

In Luke 4:40 the sun is going down and people start bringing their loved ones to Jesus. They waited until the Sabbath was over before coming to Jesus with their friends and family who were sick with many kinds of diseases. The scripture says that he healed each one. As the sunsets on our friend’s life Jesus has healed him too. A few weeks ago Randy prayed with us in chapel. He prayed that the things that he feared these dreams that haunted him of rats would cease. One thing is for sure Randy is healed, he is in the presence of our Lord, whole, right with God and today we can praise Jesus that we know that Randy loved Jesus and that he is now, whole in his presence, no longer haunted by nightmares but living beyond the dream and the promise.

5-6 “Now here is what I want to do: Build a temple in honor ofGod, my God, following the promise that God gave to David my father, namely, ‘Your son whom I will provide to succeed you as king, he will build a house in my honor.’ And here is how you can help: Give orders for cedars to be cut from the Lebanon forest; my loggers will work alongside yours and I’ll pay your men whatever wage you set. We both know that there is no one like you Sidonians for cutting timber.”

Can you imagine- we thought we had a list of things to do. This example of getting right to it and knowing the plans that God has for His people is striking! When you give people things to do that are Godly it is meaningful work. When Solomon does what God truly has for him he is working on all cylinders. But where does he go wrong? How does Solomon get off track and how are we getting off track when we think we may be doing the right thing with God”s motive in the front of us. Here’s the deal- the big quote is that “Solomon built the Temple in 7 years.” Pretty heady stuff for a kid ruler- and it does go to his head. He loses everything, he winds up in Civil War and the kingdom is divided before he can even pose for pictures.

Acts 7:1-29

23-26“When he was forty years old, he wondered how everything was going with his Hebrew kin and went out to look things over. He saw an Egyptian abusing one of them and stepped in, avenging his underdog brother by knocking the Egyptian flat. He thought his brothers would be glad that he was on their side, and even see him as an instrument of God to deliver them. But they didn’t see it that way. The next day two of them were fighting and he tried to break it up, told them to shake hands and get along with each other: ‘Friends, you are brothers, why are you beating up on each other?’

Exactly- In the wings watching all of this going on and hearing the Biblical History is the ring leader- Saul of Tarsus. Stephen’s moving speech brings us face to face with division- and friendship. When you see so much division, when we forget what God did for us, what He is doing in our lives and the life of the church today, and when we choose to forget His promise, we lose our way. The Legal Beagles at the time punished the righteous- by death. But the word that Stephen quotes still lives and it was not lost on Saul- who became Paul, and you know what happened to him.

Psalm 127:1-5 (Words and Music)

1-2 If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn’t guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?

The architect Louis Sullivan commented that “God is in the plans.” Considering that we have the temple being built in 1 Kings this morning- what fitting way to put music and lyrics together than to end with this Psalm. God has a Palace in mind- without him- we build shacks. We could put the biggest, meanest force of buff guards to protect our city- but unless God is watching and protecting us- unless god has your back- we’re toast!

The message is – “give God the Glory, the credit, let go of the things you can’t control anyway, and do the things that are in His will.'” I labor hard at what I do- I don’t want to labor in vain- and neither should you. Let God build your house, let God guard your city and your life. Or in short- Let God.

Proverbs 16:28-30

28 Troublemakers start fights;
gossips break up friendships.

29 Calloused climbers betray their very own friends;
they’d stab their own grandmothers in the back.

To me the whole package of today’s readings are connected- We have Solomon building the Temple as promised, we have Stephen systematically calling question to God’s truth and man made law, the psalmist clearly paints the picture that if god isn’t in it- if it is not built on His word- then we may as well pack it up, pack it in. Then there is a choice- do we spread lies and gossip, or truth and the Gospel? Do we betray our friends and family to move up? Or do we spend time with our friends and help them – where they are? What is your choice? Start out Biblical, Take the Systematic Theology in the Gospel and practice it. It is the pure law “to love your God with all you’ve got and to love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Then take evangelical theology and reach out to your friends, family and neighbors. Triology 3- the mind and motive of God the Father, the approach of Jesus the son, and do it within the power of The Holy Spirit- the Lord, the Giver of Life! That’s the MAP I follow!

“You can’t stop prayer. They can’t censor it, it can’t be removed from the store shelf. It will not be recalled or revoked; so go ahead-Pray!” Richard Beattie

It’s true- yes it’s true- it won’t get done unless you do it. It’s got to make the list so you can do it. Here is Thursdays list of things to do.

To do- Wake up and make a pot of Mission Coffee’s Mexican blend

To do- Write Thank you to Jimmy Fallon for his thoughtful thank you notes

To do- Give a shout out to Philadelphia on WYFL- Hey Barry!

To do- Live out the mission- ask me how

To do- Order lunch from Panera

To do- Transfer money to the account that is overdrawn.

To do- Pray the headlines to the tune of “Do the Hustle”

Sung: There’s probably more that I’m missing- I’ll probably forget something or maybe a few- If so- I’ll put them on tomorrows things to do. Do the hustle- Pray the headlines!

Disclaimer: Things to do list jingle is a daily balance service from Friendship Fellowship. These are only suggestions- if you have other things that are on your list please feel free to do them. If you do anything that made it on my list- please notify the writer of this list of things to do today.

10-14 God, the Master, was delighted with Solomon’s response. And God said to him, “Because you have asked for this and haven’t grasped after a long life, or riches, or the doom of your enemies, but you have asked for the ability to lead and govern well, I’ll give you what you’ve asked for—I’m giving you a wise and mature heart. There’s never been one like you before; and there’ll be no one after. As a bonus, I’m giving you both the wealth and glory you didn’t ask for—there’s not a king anywhere who will come up to your mark. And if you stay on course, keeping your eye on the life-map and the God-signs as your father David did, I’ll also give you a long life.”

Wisdom and to lead well is a message that is one that we should seek. If David was “a man after God’s own heart” Solomon was one who would seek God’s mind and motive. The difficult thing is that the path that Solomon followed may have looked righteous at times but he quickly and frequently took matters in his own hands. The lesson is a character lesson that we all can learn from. Romans 12 says to “renew the mind” but to truly be a “living sacrifice” as Paul writes, we must also “renew our hearts” as well. David renewed his heart, Solomon renewed his mind but giving our all and seeking God’s motive and letting God direct our path is the message here. Everything else falls into place if we have the character issue worked out in our minds and our hearts.

Yesterday as I led a group of urban missionaries in Denver, we traveled from the wasteland of the trilemma of searching for “love in all the wrong places.” From a Middle School on Emerson and 13th going North we find Planned Parenthood; Rainbow Alley (a support center for “Gay teens” ages preteen (12 years old to 25 years old) We prayed and sang, then walked a half block up to Charlies- a gay bar. “My chains are gone – I’ve been set free, my God my Savior has rescued me, and like a flood, his mercy rains, unending love- Amazing Grace.” The prayer walk continues after the new testament reading for the day.

Acts 6:1-15

8-10Stephen, brimming with God’s grace and energy, was doing wonderful things among the people, unmistakable signs that God was among them. But then some men from the meeting place whose membership was made up of freed slaves, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and some others from Cilicia and Asia, went up against him trying to argue him down. But they were no match for his wisdom and spirit when he spoke.

Stephen was stoned by the people as the story goes. We walked further and headed West on East Colfax Avenue. Stopping, praising and praying in front of liquor stores; porn and payday loan markets. We prayed that the spirit of addictions would be lifted from these people. The trilemma- “search for love,” “search for escapism” and the search power. People might want to talk us down, but we sing of His mercy, we pray light in the darkness and we pray that our approach is to follow Jesus. Then we come into the power grid of the State.

Psalm 126:1-6

4-6 And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.

At the Capitol Steps we sing “How Great is our God,” we pray for Governor Hickenlooper, who is watching us- from the steps. He pauses, stays his distance but listens to our prayers, for wise legislation, for good government, we pray for his family and we pray for him- and we sing “The splendor of the King, clothed in righteoussness, let all the earth rejoice. He wraps Himself in light, and darkness tries to hide, and trembles at His voice, and trembles at his voice.”

I am reading several books this summer- rapidly. One on the Cold War and Ronald Reagan; another on the dust particles of the 9-11 tragedy called “City of Dust.” The third book is about the character of Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach and a fourth by Charles Shultz, “My life with Charlie Brown.” All are testimonies of character and show examples of both good and bad character. I’ll keep you posted. I can see this as one super radio program on character.

The answer for the Trilemma of searching for meaning, running to addictions, and pursuing to be loved can be answered by a Triology of Biblical, Systematic, and Evangelical Theology of what is God’s motive, the Jesus Approach (the Gospel), and the microburst and power of the Holy Spirit that takes our minds and hearts off of our “self-center” and reaches out to the Christ Center! That’s what we try to do at Friendship Fellowship we study God’s Word, we are in relationship with Jesus and one another, and we practice living out the message, the music, and the mission in all out, out reach!

Proverbs 16:26-27

26 Appetite is an incentive to work;
hunger makes you work all the harder.

27 Mean people spread mean gossip;
their words smart and burn.

I have written before about our choice of words. Do we gossip or do we gospel? Whatever is true, whatever is right- that’s the kind of gospel I want to spread. How about you?

Prayer walk. We begin at Morey Middle school at 13th and Emerson. Morey is a Denver Public School. We will park there and begin with Praise and worship- and prayer. We will begin with Everlasting, then sing the Doxology. We will pray for the teachers and the students. I will tell the story about what kids might be up against on their way to school. We will walk up one block between Colfax and Emerson.

Rainbow Alley 303-461-1650 (24 hour crisis pager) http://www.coloradoglbt.org 24 Hour Crisis Pager: 303-461-1650 Main Telephone: 303-831-0442 or 303-832-2260 The Alley is a GLBTQ drop-in youth (ages 12-25) center in Denver. Hosts an array of social gatherings, shows, films, and support groups. 919 East 14th Avenue in Capitol Hill On the north side of East 14th Avenue, behind Planned Parenthood in the alley between Emerson and Ogden Streets Director: Julie Voyles Planned Parenthood Denver Talk about the obstacles of students on their way to school.

Pray about these obstacles- within a block or two from school. Sing: Our God is Greater and Amazing Grace. Payday loans trap consumers in repeat borrowing cycles due to the extreme high cost to borrow, the very short repayment term, and the consequences of failing to make good on the check used to secure the loan. Consumers have an average of eight to thirteen loans per year at a single lender. In one state almost sixty percent of all loans made are either same day renewals or new loans taken out immediately after paying off the prior loan. Risk and Cost of Checks for Loans Every unpaid loan involves a check that is not covered by funds on deposit in the borrower’s bank account. Failure to repay leads to bounced check fees from the lender and the consumer’s bank. Returned checks cause negative credit ratings on specialized databases and credit reports. A consumer can lose her bank account or have difficulty opening a new bank account if she develops a record of “bouncing” checks used to get payday loans. Research indicates that payday loan users are almost twice as likely to file for bankruptcy as borrowers who are turned down for a payday loan. Pray about addictions the Liquor stores the payday loans, the cigarettes.

Sing “Unfailing” The Capitol – Holy is the Lord, God almighty Head up the Northside of Colfax Stop in front of the RC Cathedral. Sing I confess/Gloria Student Prayer. Talk about God sightings, about what they experienced.

To do: Get the upper hand on the Swallow nests. Send a note to the Swallow coalition and don’t renew their contract for May-June 2012.

To do: Call a Press conference to announce that I have nothing to say- including that I am not running for President of my Glee Club, my homeowners association, or my block party.

To do; Send a suggestion to Ed Bircham, Douglas Bruce in Colorado Springs and suggest they start a new political movement- ‘The Prune Juice party.”

To do: Lower the divorce rate by strengthening my own marriage.

To do: Ask 60 minutes why they are not half the show they use to be. (they were actually good for 40 minutes last night with the story on super computer stock market trading and then the “City of David” story- then I watched 3 minutes of Lady Ga Ga preaching to people with fire coming from her bra.

To do: To write the sequel to We are the World- Part 2

To do: send a birthday card to Bob Dylan.

To do: Give Peace a chance- and give my pea plants a chance.

To do: Take a lesson from the ant. (Proverbs)

To do: Talk to the guy whose Grandfather invented Whiffle Ball.

To do: Create a humid environment in Colorado.

To do: Start working on Tuesday’s list of things to do.

To do: Ask the question if country music is the only musical genre that could write “water-heater” in a song.

Sing: So you decide what you think is true- I will concentrate on my things to do- these are my things to do.